1. First part (22-26 January 2018)

Winter session: the Presidents of Armenia and Austria, Prime Minister and Crown Princess of Denmark

Strasbourg, 22-26 January 2018

Adopting its final agenda at the opening of the 2018 Winter Session, the Assembly decided to hold an urgent debate on the Israeli–Palestinian peace process and the role of the Council of Europe, on Thursday morning, and a current affairs debate on the Turkish military intervention in Syria, on Wednesday afternoon.

The Presidents of Armenia and Austria, as well as the Prime Minister and the Crown Princess of Denmark, were among VIPs to address the winter session.

The Assembly also elected its President and a new Commissioner for Human Rights.

Key debates covered good football and modern sports governance, the humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine, the case for a basic citizenship income and the protection of regional and minority languages. Also discussed were the latest monitoring report on how far Bosnia and Herzegovina is meeting its Council of Europe obligations and commitments, as well as "periodic reviews" of the situation in Estonia, Greece, Hungary and Ireland.

The Foreign Minister of Denmark reported to the Assembly on the work of the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe's executive body which he currently chairs, and responded to questions. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe presented his annual communication, and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights reported on his activities in 2017.